Predators' Seth Jones returning home to face Colorado Avalanche

That seemed to be Nathan MacKinnon's view of Friday's first career NHL meeting with the Nashville Predators and fellow draft lottery pick Seth Jones, the former Colorado squirt and peewee star.

"I haven't really thought about it like that, like I'm playing against him or anything," said MacKinnon, who went first overall in the June 30 NHL draft while Jones went fourth. "I'm just thinking about us trying to win the game and that's about it."

Still, plenty of people will be interested to see what goes on at the Pepsi Center when the rookies face each other. Jones, the former Denver-area resident who was rated the top pick by most scouts coming into the draft, played his first career game Thursday against St. Louis.

While it might seem like MacKinnon and Jones would have it out for each other based on recent history, MacKinnon said, "We've been friends since we were 14 years old."

Jones, a defenseman, told The Tennessean: "I was texting him a little bit a couple of days ago. He's excited to start the season as well. It should be fun. He's a good player and it will be fun playing against him."

MacKinnon was the MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament last spring in a series that finished against Jones' Portland Winterhawks.

MacKinnon, 18, can be excused for not having just one thing on his mind these days. He had two assists in his first game Wednesday and his parents are in town. He's also maybe dealing with a lack of sleep.

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"A good or bad game, it's tough to sleep for me," MacKinnon said. "My brain's going, for sure, for me, and (Wednesday) night was definitely one of those nights for me."

MacKinnon, who escaped uninjured from a knee-on-knee check from Anaheim's Ben Lovejoy that helped touch off a postgame melee that resulted in a $10,000 fine for Avs coach Patrick Roy, drew raves for his opening-night performance. But MacKinnon isn't satisfied.

"There's a lot of things I can work on, that I can do better," MacKinnon said.

LOOKING AHEAD: NASHVILLE AT COLORADO

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Spotlight on Seth Jones: A lot of hockey pundits thought the big defenseman would go first overall to the Avalanche in this year's NHL draft, but he fell to No. 4 to the Predators. Jones made his NHL debut Thursday night in St. Louis against the Blues. Jones lived several years in Colorado, playing youth hockey in Littleton.

NOTEBOOK

Avalanche: Captain Gabe Landeskog missed practice Thursday with a leg injury. The team said Landeskog would be re-evaluated Friday morning. Landeskog might have suffered the injury after a collision with Anaheim's Corey Perry, though the team had no details to the nature of the injury. ... Coach Patrick Roy said there would be no changes to the lineup from Wednesday's opener. If Landeskog can't play, John Mitchell is likely to play at left wing and Marc-Andre Cliche would center the fourth line.

Predators: Nashville underwent a lot of roster change over the summer after missing the playoffs. But one thing hasn't changed: Barry Trotz remains the only coach the team has ever had, since 1998. Adrian Dater, The Denver Post